A Great Article that Explains Why You are Paying too Much for Home Care Leads or Assisted Living Leads

Many of you have used Yodle or ReachLocal for your PPC campaigns to get home care leads or assisted living leads. This article explains exactly why you are paying too much if you are using these businesses.

“Bags of Clicks” = Bags of **** (Part 1)

Many remodelers over the last few years have told me about sales pitches from companies like ReachLocal and Yodle. And while I understand their sales pitches to be slick and well-choreographed, these firms make a number of claims that are dubious at best.

But the one aspect of their sales pitches that is most egregious is what I call the “Bag of Clicks.” The pitch goes like this:

“We can get your Web site found on major search engines, like Google. You don’t have to do any of the work. We’ll do it all for you. We choose the words, write the ads and even give you a page for visitors to find you. All you have to do is buy a “bag of clicks”. And the more clicks you buy, the more visitors will visit your Web site. And the more visitors you get, the more leads you get!”

The concept sounds so simple and easy to grasp. A “bag of clicks.” What’s not to like?

Here’s what—this program is likely way too expensive for your business.

And here’s why. It forces you to assume that all clicks are created equal. Fact is, all clicks are NOT created equal. Not by a long shot. Let me explain.

You might get a “great” click from your “bag of clicks” as a result of a search query on Google like “window contractor, Rumson NJ”. If you’re a windows dealer in Rumson, NJ, you’d love to host a visitor to your Web site who had searched on this term.

But from that same bag of clicks, you will also get clicks from visitors who searched on terms like:

“car window repair”

“Microsoft windows 7”

“Window washer”

“eyes are the window of the soul”

Yikes. Obviously the folks who are typing in those search queries aren’t interested in home remodeling. And they’re not interested in new windows for their home. They well may not even be homeowners. Yet you’ve just paid to host their visit to your Web site….out of your “bag of clicks.”

If that seems rather wasteful and ineffective to you, pat yourself on the back. You’re right. All clicks are indeed not created equal – yet through your “bag of clicks”, you’re paying (a lot!) for all them.

What can you do? I’ll explain how to deflate your “bag of clicks” in my next blog post.

Valerie VanBooven, Managing Partner/ Co-Owner of LTC Expert PublicationsValerie’s motto and favorite saying is: “Impact is not created by big budgets, impact is created by innovative marketing ideas!”Valerie is a Registered Nurse and the author of three books, Aging Answers (2003), The Senior Solution (2007) and Priceless Caregiving (2009). Her adventure in internet marketing began as a self-promotion experiment and ended up becoming a full time marketing consulting business for the elder care market.

Valerie has appeared on national television (Today Show), has hosted her own local radio show, and has been interviewed for dozens of publications and radio shows across the country regarding her business and the business of elder care.She fast became the foremost authority in driving sales via the internet, seminars, and e-mail for senior service providers and elder care entrepreneurs.While Valerie’s best known for her expertise in marketing, her students share that her biggest impact comes from her ability to make things happen quickly, even on a small budget.Google Verified Author